�Kosher� is the Hebrew term for �fit for consumption�, which is also used for
other areas. The Holy torah tells us (3rd and 5th)
Books), that only animals that split hooves and chew their cud are
kosher. One sign only is not enough, so hare (rabbit) and Pig are explicitly
excluded.

Fish have to have fins and scales and this also outside of the water
(!), which means all shellfish, dolphins, eel, shark, sea turtle, caviar
is forbidden. Beware of local names for some fish: �Kingfish� is the
name for 5 different fish, one not being kosher ! Our holy Torah
(and as explained by our great wise Rabbis of the Talmud) is the only guide
line for kashrut. Even if it is healthier, this is not the reasoning behind it!

2) Shechita (=Kosher Slaughtering)

The shechita is the only method to kill an animal without causing pain! Before
the actual cut, the shochet says a blessing and immediately cuts the throat
until the bone with one cut only. This causes the blood to virtually
�fall� out of the head and the animal loses consciousness immediately. The
initial cut does not cause pain, as the animal never becomes aware in time to
realize what happened.

3) Meat and Milk

The prohibition of mixing meat and milk goes back to the Holy Torah, where it
is written in three different places. �And thou shalt not cook the
goat�s kid in its mother�s milk�. As there is no further explanation given, our
great Rabbis decided, that in order to �make a fence around the Torah�, the
prohibition has to be complete: No Cooking, No eating, No benefit!
A Jew is not allowed to cook it, not to eat it (not even the same plates and
utensils are to be used) and no Benefit (this includes doing it for others or
the own income!) Again: the reasoning is not because of health
precautions! Anyone saying, that today it�s fine, because we have refrigerators
is utterly wrong!

4) Cutlery

For meat and milk (or any dairy) different pots, plates and utensils have to
be used, that should be cleaned separately and even the cloth to dry them
should be different.

5) Parve

Any food that is neither meaty nor dairy is parve (fish is parve also), and
can be eaten in the same meal.

Fish (because of the bones) must not be eaten on the same plate with meat!
Sephardic Jewry (from mostly north African countries) does not eat fish
together with milk either. Plates should be cleaned or changed after fish.

6) Waiting timeA. Waiting time after meat before milk according to different customs
the time varies: Dutch Jewry � 1 hours, German �3, all other � 6 hours.B. After Milk/DairyWhite Cheese (soft cheese, yoghurt) and milk: No waiting time,
but it is required to say the blessing after the dairy food, wash our hands and
mouth to ensure cleanliness. Some do wait for 30 minutes.Yellow Cheese (hard cheese): 6 hours, but the question
is today, what actually is �hard� cheese. Leading authorities ruled that all
yellow cheese is hard cheese

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